Call To Consider ‘Diabulimia’ As A Mental Illness

Diabulimia? At first I thought it might refer to purging with laxatives. But no, it refers to young women with diabetes who cut back on the insulin they need in order to lose weight. “Diabetes Health” offers some excellent background here, including the explanation that “when insulin is omitted, calories are purged through the loss of glucose in the urine.”

The BBC reports today that a British charity called Diabetics with Eating Disorders is now pushing to have diabulimia recognized officially as a mental illness. The report warns that side effects of not taking enough insulin can range from “eye sight loss to kidney damage and if left untreated can even kill.”

Leading doctors and psychiatrists say diabulimia is most common with young women who have type 1 diabetes…

Figures show, in the 12 months up to last March, more than 8,000 people were admitted to hospital in England and Wales, with symptoms of not taking enough insulin.

The data shows it was most common with young females in deprived areas.

About CommonHealth

Massachusetts is the leading laboratory for health care reform in the nation, and a hub of medical innovation. From the lab to your doctor’s office, from the broad political stage to the numbers on your scale, we’d like CommonHealth to be your go-to source for news, conversation and smart analysis. Your hosts are Carey Goldberg, former Boston bureau chief of The New York Times, and Rachel Zimmerman, former health and medicine reporter for The Wall Street Journal.GET IN TOUCH

FOLLOW US

ABOUT THIS SITE

Massachusetts is the leading laboratory for health care reform in the nation, and a hub of medical innovation. From the lab to your doctor’s office, from the broad political stage to the numbers on your scale, we’d like CommonHealth to be your go-to source for news, conversation and smart analysis. Your hosts are Carey Goldberg, former Boston bureau chief of The New York Times, and Rachel Zimmerman, former health and medicine reporter for The Wall Street Journal.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

The troubled payment formula for Medicare physicians is one step closer to repeal. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about the proposal and the congressional ritual known as the doc fix.